Statistical error for the moistures retrieved with the SMOS radiobrightness data, as induced by imperfectness of a dielectric model used

The error induced by some soil dielectric models used to retrieve the soil moisture from the SMOS radiobrightnesses is statistically evaluated, based on the measured dielectric data. Three dielectrical models most frequently used in the radio thermal remote sensing algorithms are tested in conjunction with the dielectric data base covering all soil types and moisture variations.